President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana says the time has come for people of African descent to make the journey back home. Ghana is offering African-Americans and Caribbean people the opportunity to return and the right of abode in 2019, pronouncing it “The Year of Return”.

Denmark’s minister of development, Ulla Tornaes, is withholding US$9.8 million in aid to Tanzania and postponing a planned trip to the country over "unacceptable homophobic comments" by a senior Tanzanian politician.

How important are television commercials in shaping the society, to debunk or entrench stereotypes? Maggi's latest commercial has been the topic of debate in Nigeria, with many referring to the commercial as being misogynistic.

Anti-gay rhetoric has steadily been on the rise in Tanzania since President John Magufuli took office. It is not the rhetoric that citizens need to be mindful of, however. The government is taking surveillance and intimidation action towards perceived homosexual activity. Now, it seems, the mere act of sitting in a pair is being viewed as criminal.

Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni recently declared, "the head of the home never goes into the kitchen." In 2018, when cooking is a basic life skill, on a continent where gender stereotypes have proven to do more harm than good, what do you think of President Museveni's statement?

Complicated beauty rituals are no longer a purely feminine preoccupation. The current male beauty standard demands a level of effort and curation that men have not been exposed to in the past. The pressure to attain this image ideal is even higher with social perceptions and stereotypes.

Most women who opt for sex toys prefer vibrators above all the other options available to them for self-pleasure. Vibrators are used for clitoral stimulation yet – absurdly – they are designed to resemble phalluses.

Pegging is not high on heterosexual couples’ list of things to do in bed, but maybe it should be. The act of trying something new and subverting gender roles in the sack can lead to increased pleasure and healthy conversations for both parties.

Hook-up culture, whether we acknowledge it or not, is prevalent. People are having casual sex all the time, yet there seems to be a lack of common understanding on the rules of engagement. With the help of a group of 30 somethings, we established a few universal dos and don’ts.

How does the black man who is selfish with his body find pleasure? Where does the selfishness come from? Perhaps his destructive kind of ecstasy contributes to the toxic way he relates with other races.

Ghana is the latest African country to support Israel's push to rejoin the African Union as an observer member. Palestine is currently an observer member, and Israel's questionable history with the continent, including installing Idi Amin as president, and other historical legacies could be major obstacles.

Celebrated Kenyan writer Ngugi Thiong’o's remarkable novel, Matigari, is being adapted to film by Nollywood Director Kunle Afolayan. The revelation comes at an opportune time when African storytelling in film and dance has gained global prominence in recent years.

Ethnic minority classical dancers had to use paint or foundation make-up to darken the standard-issue pink shoes that were the only option available to them. Now, for the first time on a large scale, ballet shoes will better match the skin colour of black and mixed dancers.

Dr. Nolubabalo Nqebelele has attained a PhD in Nephrology, making her a specialist in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Her achievement makes her the first Black woman to earn a PhD in Internal Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand, a top South African college.

Salif Keita the "Golden voice of Africa" has announced his retirement from music after releasing his final album ‘Un Autre Blanc’ or “Another white”. The album is an appeal for the protection of people with albinism and a good precursor to his tribute concert to Ramata Diarra, a 5-year-old girl with albinism, a victim of ritual crime.

China’s massive investment on the continent continues with the opening of Africa’s longest suspension bridge in Maputo, Mozambique. Among other improvements, the 3km-long bridge will reduce travel time between Maputo and KwaZulu-Natal from six hours to 90 minutes. But it comes at a cost to locals.

Counting is under way in Madagascar after millions of people cast their ballots. The voter turnout stands at about 40% and so far no major anomalies have been detected in the polls. However, there have been complaints of voters not finding their names on the list, despite having registered

Evariste Akoumian, a 37-year-old Ivorian, invented the “Solarpak”, a schoolbag with a solar panel and a lamp, to improve the education of young schoolchildren from rural, non-electrified areas. Using the lamp, children can now comfortably study after dark.

Africa's fifth-largest bridge has been opened in Jinja, the eastern region of Uganda, dubbed "Source of the Nile Bridge". The cable-supported bridge is 525 metres long and is expected to “last for 120 years", according to President Yoweri Museveni.

By
Socrates Mbamalu on November 2, 2017 — Social media has always been a place where good things can happen, and Anok Yai a South Sudanese student in the US is the latest testament to the positive power of social media. Anok was signed by a modelling agency after her picture went viral on Instagram. Anok has been overwhelmed by the positive responses to the viral picture.

Anok Yai a student Plymouth State University was shot into limelight with one single picture of hers that went viral. Photo: Instagram/Anok Yai

Social media has always been a place where good things can happen, and Anok Yai a South-Sudanese student is the latest testament to the positive power of social media. Anok is a student at Plymouth State University, in the US, and she shot into limelight after her picture went viral on Instagram.

Within minutes of posting the picture, her phone was buzzing with Instagram notifications, likes and comments, something she didn’t expect as she felt the picture was an average image. Currently studying Biochemistry, Yai moved to the US when she was two years old.

Yai who is a Sudanese was born in Egypt, and she has beautiful dark skin. She caught the attention of Steve Hall, a photographer whose Instagram handle is @thesunk. He saw her at the Howard University homecoming party and wrote, “saw her right at the end of the Yardfest.”

What started as a hesitant trip to Howard University ended up as a pleasant surprise for Yai. Three modelling agencies contacted her before the end of the day, with her pictures still circulating the internet.

The picture of the 19 year-old currently has 38,295 likes on her Instagram page. With only 11 posts on her page, just one picture has brought her fame and fortune.

Yai who many people are seeing as a source of inspiration for other dark girls said “Honestly, I think that people get so used to seeing themselves that people don’t see their own beauty because they see it everyday.”

At a time when Dove and Nivea have found themselves in controversy over their advertisements depicting light skinned women in a better light than dark skinned women, Yai’s picture is a message of positivity and attests to the beauty of the dark skin.

Yai has been signed to Next Models. In a post on her Instagram page she said, “Excited to announce that I am now signed with @nextmodels. Thank you to everyone that’s supported me along the way; hope you follow me on this journey #TheNextNext”

Yai had 150 followers with an average of 30 like. After her picture went viral she now has over 62,000 followers. More congratulatory messages continue to pour in. Yai told Yahoo “It makes me feel honored to be a South Sudanese woman. It shows that the standards of beauty are slowly evolving.”